Texas military personnel and Florida National Guard troops were filmed putting up razor wire on private property in a bid to stop migrants from entering the United States from Mexico.
NewsNation broadcast footage of the wire being assembled near Eagle Pass, around 11 miles away from Shelby Park and just across the Rio Grande from Mexico. The network reported that it was being placed on private property with permission from the landowner. Expanded Wire Mesh Machine Price
Tensions between Texan authorities and the federal government over how to handle illegal migration across the southern border have exploded in the past few months. On January 22, the Supreme Court ruled federal agents could remove razor wire placed along the border on the orders of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, sparking a furious response from the Republican who claimed his state was being subject to an "invasion" and invoked its "constitutional authority to defend and protect itself."
On Tuesday, NewsNation broadcast footage showing additional razor wire being erected along the U.S.-Mexico border near Shelby Park, a riverfront area in the border city of Eagle Pass. Texan authorities seized control of it in January, after which access to federal border agents was denied.
Speaking to the network, Lieutenant Christopher Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety said, "We're continuing going forward with our projects and trying to secure more areas along the border as part of Operation Lone Star."
Referring to the border fortifications, he added: "If it gets to the point where it goes to the Supreme Court, and we're actually told that, 'You know what? You cannot place barriers; you have to remove them.' Then that's one story, but right now, we're still moving forward with what we're doing right now."
Abbott launched Operation Lone Star, which is being run by the Texas Military Department and Texas Department of Public Safety, in 2021 to combat illegal crossings into his state from Mexico.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court extended a temporary freeze preventing Texan authorities from implementing Senate Bill 4, a new law allowing state law enforcement to arrest and deport individuals who enter the state illegally.
Abbott vowed to appeal the decision, insisting that he "will not back down in our fight to protect our state—and our nation—from President Biden's border crisis."
Abbott's strict border control measures have drawn both praise and condemnation from other political figures and community leaders.
Speaking at a rally in Austin on March 9, Sarah Cruz, a border and immigrant rights strategist at the American Civil Liberties Union, said politicians "repeatedly used false narratives about our communities to justify pushbacks at the border, family separations, increased racial profiling and the installment of razor wires and boobies that have caused drownings and hundreds of injuries."
Update 3/13/24, 7:14 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is covering U.S. politics and world politics. He has covered the intersection between politics and emerging technology, such as artificial intelligence. James joined Newsweek in July 2022 from LBC, and previously worked for the Daily Express. He is a graduate of Oxford University. Languages: English. Twitter: @JBickertonUK. You can get in touch with James by emailing j.bickerton@newsweek.com
James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is covering U.S. politics and world ... Read more
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